From left to right: Susan McFadden,Chloë Agnew,Máiréad Nesbitt and Lisa Lambe
From left to right: Lisa Lambe, Lisa Kelly, Chloë Agnew, and in the center background Máiréad Nesbitt
From left to right: Máiréad Nesbitt, Lisa Lambe, Chloë Agnew and Lisa Kelly
Fiddler Mairead Nesbitt and Celtic Woman bring their Believe tour to the Oakdale in Wallingford on Saturday, March 17, and the Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday, March 18. Photo: Contributed Photo / CT
There have been several lineup changes in Celtic Woman since the group formed in 2004, but fiddler Máiréad Nesbitt has been one of the constants, with her high-energy performances contrasting nicely with the beautiful tunes delivered by the vocalists.
Singer Lisa Kelly, another original member, is sitting out Celtic Woman's current tour -- which stops at the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford on Saturday, March 17, and at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday, March 18 -- as she is pregnant with her fourth child.
Taking her place is Susan McFadden, who has recently starred in "Grease" and "Legally Blonde: The Musical" in London's West End.
"It injects something different into the show when someone new joins, and she's fantastic," Nesbitt said during a recent phone interview from Fairfax, Va. "There are a few new things in the show, as well, that have kind of stirred it up a bit."
The new concert, "Believe," was recorded for CD and DVD in September in Atlanta with Nesbitt and Kelly, as well as Chloë Agnew, another original member, and Lisa Lambe, who joined the group last year.
Celtic Woman's "Believe" tour started in early February and will visit 60 cities before ending April 29 in Las Vegas.
"It's going great, I must say," Nesbitt said of the new program. "The show is very different from our last show. We have a few favorites in there that people want to hear, but it's got a lot of new music and there are some surprises in the show, as well.
"We have a bagpiper (Anthony Byrne) and we have our fantastic dancer (Craig Ashurst), and they lend some different dynamics to the show. So we're very excited about it, and the songs are beautiful.
"The crowds are absolutely fantastic and they've been absolutely brilliant for this new show. It's a different audience every night and you draw a different energy from them every night. They really are a part of the show and they totally bring another dynamic to the show.
"When we do our meet-and-greets every night, I ask a few people who've been to the other Celtic Woman shows which one they prefer and they really prefer this one, which is good news. It's always good to know that you're making progress and reaching out to more people. It's very good news for us."
As usual, Celtic Woman blends traditional Irish favorites with their versions of more contemporary songs. For "Believe," newer songs include Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Sailing," which was a hit for Rod Stewart in the early 1970s.
Nesbitt has fun moving between the Irish standards and the pop hits.
"I don't have a favorite, actually; I love doing them all," she said. "I've always loved doing different styles and I think it keeps you fresh, keeps you on your toes, and keeps you thinking of new things to do. I really love it all.
"And I love recording with different people, too, and certainly Celtic Woman gives me that luxury. ... It helps to refocus and maintain the freshness, which is very important for Celtic Woman and for me personally."
Nesbitt was featured prominently on the soundtrack to Disney's "Tinker Bell" DVD, and she is scheduled to do a follow-up, "Tinker Bell: Secret of the Wings," with composer Joel McNeely when the "Believe" tour ends. She's also making plans for a second solo album, which would be her first in more than a decade.
"I've been asked to do another solo record, but I don't know when I'm going to be able to do that," she said with a laugh. "I'm thinking about different things for that, but it's always a challenge to stay in one place, in the studio, long enough to get something like that done.
"I remember for the first one, it was a few years getting tunes together and thinking of what I would like to do that's slightly different. So it'll be a challenge getting it done, but I'm sure I will."
By: Sean Spillane
Connecticut Post
ctpost.com
Bridgeport, CT
Published Tuesday, March 13, 2012
